Men’s HAIR LOSS in Minneapolis, MN

Male pattern baldness (MPB) is the most common cause of hair loss in men and the common indication for hair transplantation. As stated earlier in order to have a successful hair transplant we need to meet the patient’s goals of both naturalness and density.

Male Pattern Baldness

Creating naturalness is achieved by using 1-4 hair FU grafts to mimic patterns and distributions of hair found in nature. Creating a natural hairline is most important. A hairline should initially appear irregular, soft, and ill defined but gradually take on more definition and substance as it moves posteriorly. Creating too abrupt or straight of a hairline does not look natural and is a common mistake made by beginning transplant surgeons. To accomplish this goal only 1 hair FU’ grafts are in the anterior portion of the hairline with a shift towards 2 hair FU grafts as we move toward its posterior portion. Behind the hairline density is more important and a shift toward larger 3-4 hair FU grafts is made. This is called selective distribution of grafts and is an important technique used in hair transplantation. It is also important to make incisions at the angle and direction that follows the natural flow of hair.

The amount of density that we can ultimately create will depend on the severity of hair loss and the supply of donor hair. The severity of MPB varies dramatically and can be as mild as minor hairline recession of the hairline or as severe as complete loss of the hair on the superior aspect of the scalp.. Hair Loss is progressive at an unpredictable rate. It is very hard to predict how severe a pattern will develop in a patient when they are young. Family history helps a little but is not very reliable. Probably the best predictor is the age and severity at which hair loss begins. A patient that develops significant hair loss at a very early age will most likely end up with severe hair loss. while patient that only begins to recede in his 40’s or 50’s will most likely have less severe pattern

Predicting and communicating the degree of density and the area of coverage that we can provide a patient is one of the most difficult skills to learn in hair transplantation. Since most patients have enough donor to cover the front half of their head we usually suggest that patients treat the front half first. When they are satisfied with the front we can move to the crown if there is donor left . The general dogma is to plan for worse case scenario and maximum hair loss. We can be more aggressive if a patient is older with minimal hair loss. . The most difficult patient to treat and the ones who need to be educated the most about realistic expectations are:

Patients that want their hairline too low

Patients that are just beginning to thin and don’t want to “see scalp”

Patients with severe hair loss in both the front and crown who want full coverage everywhere

Young patients with early hair loss in whom we cant be sure how severely they will progress

“Thank you very much for your
attention. I am very happy with the results of the surgery. After 3 months only I already have full hair coverage in all the affected areas and don’t need to use the hair clips like I used to do for many years. Please give my beast regards to Dr. Shapiro and the team...”Read More

WHAT IS FOLLICULAR UNIT EXTRACTION?

Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE) is a method of obtaining donor hair for Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT) where individual follicular units are harvested directly from the donor area, without the need for a linear incision. With the FUE technique, a .8mm to 1 mm punch is used to make a small circular incision in the skin around the upper part of the follicular unit which is then extracted directly from the scalp. [ Read More ]